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Dr. Ronda Talley

Professor, Educational and School Psychology

Ronda C. Talley, PhD, MPH, is Professor of Psychology at Western Kentucky University. Dr. Talley’s professional experience includes providing national leadership on caregiving issues and organizational development as Executive Director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving and the National Quality Caregiving Coalition; working with federal government groups to promote caregiving issues as Associate Director of Legislation, Policy, and Planning/Health Scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in Atlanta, GA; and promoting the science and practice of psychology in the schools as Associate Executive Director of Education and Director of Policy and Advocacy in the Schools at the American Psychological Association in Washington, DC.

Additional work history highlights include university teaching and school administration. Dr. Talley taught ethics and legal issues in school psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park, and directed the school psychology program at Spalding University in Louisville, KY, where she taught clinical, counseling, and school psychology students. Prior to that time, Dr. Talley worked as a teacher of students with special needs, school administrator, and director of school psychological services for almost 20 years in the Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools.

Dr. Talley received her BS degree from Western Kentucky University, the MEd and EdS degrees from the University of Louisville, the PhD from Indiana University, and the MPH from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.

Dr. Talley is a frequent writer and speaker on caregiving issues and on public policy and practice issues in health, education, and human services reform. She specializes in organizational planning and development, and in program evaluation. Dr. Talley has over 80 presentations and publications in major referred journals such as the American Psychologist and the American Journal of Public Health, and has presented extensively nationally and internationally. Currently, Dr. Talley is Editor-in-Chief of the Springer Caregiving book series on diverse caregiving issues and has edited nine series books since 2011.

Dr. Talley received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Indiana University and the Jack Bardon Distinguished Service Award from the Division of School Psychology of the American Psychological Association. She serves on the national board of the American Association of Caregiving Youth, the Indiana University School of Education Board of Visitors, and is a past member of the Western Kentucky University National Alumni Advisory Board. She continues to chair the mentoring committee of the WKU Board.

Dr. Talley holds private practice licensure in psychology with health provider certification in Kentucky and has a private psychological practice in Bowling Green, KY, and Louisville, KY. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.